The experience of watching James Cameron’s The Terminator (1984) and Russell Mulcahy’s Highlander (1986) as a double feature is uncanny.

A few examples of similarities between the two movies:

• many scenes in parking garages and alleys
• blue electrical effect across vehicles and buildings
• the hero being doubted in a police interrogation about his true identity
• flashbacks of the hero’s past scattered throughout the narrative
• the villain interacting with hotel employees for comic relief
• the hero’s confession which leads to a love scene in a dark bedroom

I would argue that the producers of Highlander used the screenplay template and visual style from The Terminator. But Highlander added some details which makes their imitation of The Terminator unique.

For example, Sean Connery playing a Spanish-Egyptian mentor with a Scottish accent and Queen composing the musical soundtrack.

Of course, the producers of The Terminator were forced to officially acknowledge the works of Harlan Ellison. They recognized the similarities with The Outer Limits episodes “Soldier” and “Demon with a Glass Hand.”